AVON LAKE, Ohio — Dr. Rudy Breglia, a self-described “citizen advocate” for lap-shoulder seat belts in university buses, has been having his mission to any corporation that will listen to his tale. Success are commencing to establish.
Breglia has motivated many school districts to begin to purchase the seat belts as they invest in and switch buses. But now he has experienced the chance to seem right before the Point out Board of Training in Columbus to give testimony as to why seat belts need to be typical gear in all school buses.
Breglia gave his testimony ahead of the board Jan. 11. Here it is, edited for duration and room:
“I am a citizen advocate for protective lap-shoulder seat belts (exact as autos) in school buses with no commercial interest. Present-day Ohio school bus protection features are insufficient to guard youngsters thoroughly.
“Every year, six to 7 kids (9 in 2016) are senselessly killed as travellers in college bus crashes, and far more than 5,000 are hurt.
“On Nov. 21, 2016, we all been given a ‘wake-up call’ that confirms this inadequacy, when a Chattanooga university bus without having seat belts rolled over, killed six innocent small children and injured 26 — but not the seat-belted driver. In Ohio, college bus motorists are required to have seat belts considering that 1986.
“Today, my principal plans are to notify the State Board of Instruction to children’s latest risk for the duration of school bus transportation and how seat belts can essentially get over that threat. I’m hoping that the board will let me to do the job with your committee that addresses college student protection issues to generate a resolution that supports seat belt installation trials identical to these promulgated by various Ohio cities, such as the Metropolis of Lorain.
“Your resolution would inspire Ohio faculty districts to carry out trials like those people in (the Metropolis of) Avon Lake and (the Metropolis of) Hudson and probably abide by the present-day nationwide pattern and position seat belts in all their new substitution buses like (the Town of) Beachwood now involves.
“I’m addressing the board based on your management position and your broad responsibility for student basic safety and pupil transportation.
“Two federal organizations, the Nationwide Transportation Security Board, and several safety/clinical corporations this kind of as the Countrywide Basic safety Council propose seat belts in faculty buses.
“I know that we all want the safest form of transportation for our youngsters and acknowledge the significant, crucial and regarded added basic safety profit and significant improvement in pupil conduct that seat belts have performed in faculty buses.
“In a faculty bus crash, unbelted children grow to be airborne, are ejected from a bus or fly freely inside the cabin to hit other young ones or internal bus constructions, particularly when the bus rolls over or has a ‘side crash’ exactly where young children have definitely no defense.
“A the latest 10-year North Carolina review found that these forms of school bus crashes account for just one-third of all their crashes and produce extra than 80 % of the injuries.
“School districts and communities are participating in higher-stakes gambling just about every day as children are sent flying down the freeway at 70 mph devoid of protective seat belts in school buses with safety features centered on a flawed 1970s basic safety theory.
“High-velocity vacation is a frequent event in school lifetime, these kinds of as athletics and industry excursions, that does not make any feeling to do with out seat belts and represents a catastrophe waiting to come about. From a litigation standpoint … Ohio university districts confront limitless compensatory problems award liability threat from scholar injuries as a sizeable added charge adhering to a crash.
“Communities that have endured a tragic reduction from a college bus accident will ordinarily organize fundraisers for the survivors, honor the dead, build memorials and go regulations to put in seat belts in their buses. Nonetheless, all these reactions give very little comfort and ease that comes as well late for all worried.
“Communities need to close the ’50-calendar year debate’ on irrespective of whether seat belts are productive and act. The set up of seat belts can truly lead to a faculty district’s expense savings, this sort of as lower insurance policies premiums, greater driver retention and a lot less driver distraction, with affiliated decreased crashes and lessened litigation prices. Money help for trials is offered.”
Breglia presented resource products to the board and said he is out there for any queries or even more displays to audiences or persons, in individual or by mobile phone.
“Like hearth extinguishers,” Breglia claimed, “seat belts stand for an absolutely essential precaution to stay away from catastrophic decline. The installation of seat belts in college buses ought to be a precedence for all of us. Seat belts preserve lives.’”
For extra information and facts on Breglia’s campaign for school bus seat belts, he can be contacted at [email protected].
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